Diversifying products and cooperating to expand the tourism market with ASEAN countries is always a concern of many travel agencies in our country. Many agencies have proactively cooperated with other countries to create quality international tour products to extend travel time, meeting the needs of discovery and experience of international tourists and Vietnamese tourists going abroad.
Ancient mossy town of Hoi An.
Connecting and experiencing the culture and history of 3 ASEAN countries
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been implementing many cooperation programs to attract international tourists, especially the Vietnamese market. According to Ms. Patsee Permvongsenee, Managing Director of Southeast Asia, South Asia and South Pacific, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT): The number of Vietnamese tourists to Thailand in 2023 reached 1.03 million, compared to 1.1 million before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first quarter of 2024, there were over 209,000 Vietnamese tourists to Thailand.
According to tourism experts, economic factors are one of the top reasons why Vietnamese tourists choose Thailand. The Land of Golden Pagodas offers a variety of tourism services at competitive prices, suitable for the affordability of many tourist segments. In addition, the developed infrastructure and tourism services system, the diversity of experiences from culture, cuisine to nature and entertainment are also important factors attracting Vietnamese tourists.
From May 15 to August 15, the Tourism Authority of Thailand introduces tourism in the Northeast region with a cross-border journey between Vietnam - Laos - Thailand, a colorful cultural experience for Vietnamese tourists.
With this tour, visitors depart from Hanoi to Hue and then back to Quang Tri, exploring the land that marked the heroic years of resistance at Quang Tri Citadel and the sacred Truong Son Martyrs' Cemetery. From Quang Tri, visitors will go to the peaceful land of a million elephants, exploring unique architectural works such as the sacred Mother Xi Muong Pagoda, Patuxay - the symbol of Vientiane, That Luong - an impressive Buddhist architectural work. Then go to Udon Thani - Thailand to admire the majestic beauty of Sala Keoku Buddha statue park with more than 200 giant Buddha statues. Next, Nakhon Phanom with the Clock Tower - a symbol of Vietnam - Thailand friendship, Phu Monorom Pagoda with the largest white Buddha statue in Southeast Asia...
Mr. Le Cong Nang, General Director of WonderTour - a partner of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Vietnam to introduce cross-border tours of Vietnam - Laos - Thailand, commented: The Thai tourism industry is extremely dynamic, as soon as tourism recovered, they continuously organized roadshows to introduce new destinations. The 3-country tourism program is a good product, attracting the attention of tourists from all 3 countries to explore and compare cultural experiences of Vietnam - Laos - Thailand. Through the trip, tourists have a completely new experience, especially discovering Thailand with its unique culture, religion, beliefs, cuisine, fashion, and festivals. In particular, the ISAN region (Northeast) is also the setting for many famous and popular films of Thai and international cinema inspired by the worship of the giant snake god Naga... This is really a good experience for Vietnamese tourism to learn in building tourism products associated with indigenous culture.
Actor Quang Minh (Minh Tit) is the one who directly participated in discovering the beauty of 3 countries in the cross-border journey. He shared that he had an interesting experience, discovering the unique cultures and beliefs of the neighboring countries and recorded attractive clips about this journey.
Cooperation, exchange, attract tourists
Tourists visit a temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Thailand is currently in the Top 10 largest international tourist markets of Vietnam. In 2023, nearly 490,000 Thai tourists visited Vietnam. In the first 4 months of 2024, the country welcomed 163,790 Thai tourists, equal to 82% compared to the same period in 2023.
According to data provided by the Tourism Association of Thailand, Vietnam is among the top 3 countries chosen by Thai tourists to visit the most in 2023 (including Malaysia, Japan and Vietnam). In 2023, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched a new tourism strategy with the slogan "Open to the New Shades of Amazing" to attract high-end tourists and promote sustainable tourism. In particular, Thailand focuses on introducing tourism products with 5 strengths "5F" including: Food - Festival - Film - Fight - Fashion. Tours to the ISAN region (Northeast) clearly demonstrate the 5F advantages and the strategy of bringing new and attractive experiences to tourists.
Thailand, with a population of nearly 72 million people and an average income of about 7,000 USD/person/year, is a potential market for Vietnamese tourism. Thai tourists also love to travel to Vietnam. Beautiful beaches and developed resort services in Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, and Da Nang are favorite destinations for Thai tourists. They also like to learn about our country's culture and history in destinations with famous cultural heritages such as Hoi An, Hue, My Son, and Hanoi. Street food with unique flavors and affordable prices is also one of the factors that attracts Thai tourists to Vietnam.
To promote tourism development cooperation between the two countries, experts said that Vietnam and Thailand need to build and implement joint tourism promotion campaigns to the international market, increase direct flights, simplify visa procedures, and create favorable conditions for tourists to travel between the two countries. In addition, cooperation in building combined tours, exploiting the strengths of each country, creating a rich and attractive tourism itinerary is also an important factor that needs to be focused on. The two countries also need to cooperate in building and implementing joint tourism promotion campaigns to the international market, especially potential markets such as Europe, the US, etc.
The cross-border road tourism product of Vietnam - Laos - Thailand is an example of exchanging tourists between the two countries, while increasing the attractiveness of tourism in the three countries to international tourists. Obviously, the cooperation in campaigning and promoting products with Thailand will bring positive effects to all three parties.
To give tourists the opportunity to experience the cultural exploration journey of 3 countries at a reasonable cost, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has cooperated with reputable travel agencies in Vietnam to launch a special tour program with preferential prices. WonderTour has cooperated with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to design a 3-country tour program exclusively for tourism students at colleges and universities in Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An, supporting 50% of the cost. The experiential tour program helps students easily remember knowledge and experience, and at the same time learn how to do tourism in Thailand to make practical contributions when they become workers in the tourism industry in the future, Mr. Le Cong Nang, General Director of WonderTour informed.
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